Icicle Shards
by reminiscent-afterthought
Summary: [AU] With Renamon defeated, nothing stood between IceDevimon and the strongest Tamer of all.


**Icicle Shards**

**Prologue**

It began with the slight chill in the air, and Renamon paused in her desert trek. There was little to be seen, save the dust rising and swirling centimetres off the ground and the sky above – with _that_ world, the human world, far above.

Whispers of that world followed her no matter where she travelled; the orb of green and blue was unavoidable, inescapable from sight, sound and the destiny of the world. For there was no future except that world. They were so primitive, so basic, that all they could do was fight and win to live on, or lose and become nothing but data and a small stepping stone.

Their world had no order, no possibility. Refusal was impossible; if one chose not to fight, then they had already lost. Unless they were like the Chuumon, who were able to survive on scraps of data discarded by the rest while scrabbling in holes too fine for others to penetrate with ease. But pride was one thing that still remained – and hope. Hope for a purpose to be found.s

And many a digimon, like herself, had scoured the world over in search for an answer, only to arrive at the undeniable conclusion: their world, as it was, had no future. No possibility. One fought: to live in order to fight another, or to fail and lose all consciousness and meaning.

But it was an endlessly meaningless life, for what lay at the end of such a road? Many had come to cast their pride with age and embrace absorption, while others looked elsewhere for answers. And there they were, up in the sky. Apparently the first to try and succeed was the legendary dragon of which little, if anything, was known. But what was known was that the digimon had found a tamer on the other side, a human through which he could evolve and become stronger.

That split the world into fractions. One was rather small; few saw the negativity of embracing a human partner. Few saw it as devoting oneself to slavery; rather, most found it alluring, for it held something new. Something they hadn't tried. Something that could provide a greater meaning to their lives.

And as their world, and their power, resolved around data, the fighting continued but with a new vigour. Instead of power for the sake of power, it was power to transcend the bond of space and extend a stream of data to that other world and enter it. To find a human that will give them a purpose and a power they could not, in their own world or state, ever hope to reach.

And she was almost at the end of that journey, needing only a few Child digimon, or an Adult if she could manage one. Not even, for she was confident she needed less than what an Adult would give her. The desert was her final battleground of choice; not only was it very easy to spot an approaching enemy, but the sand gave her yellow fur an additional coat of protection. Furthermore, her razor sharp "Fox Leaf Arrowheads" were a match for all but the most thick-headed of enemies…and they were generally thick-headed in both senses of the word.

And yet…she sensed something. Something that made her fur stand on end and her breath seem louder than the quiescent desert wind. Something fast – though it was inconceivable this _thing_ could match her. Something cold.

And then she saw it, flying in the sun so she could not discern its form save the lack of any fluff in its wings and straight as though it were well aware of its course and destination. Far away one moment, all too close the next.

She sprung into the air, neatly dodging the icicle that buried itself where her feet had, just moments before, stood. The next moment, her counterattack was ready, sending a barrage of frozen leaves with a battle cry.

'Clever,' came the response, masculine, as white wings stretched out to block the strike. 'But you see, ice is of little use against myself: IceDevimon.'

The humanoid fox landed softly, arms poised to fight. 'The desert is hardly the place to find a good opponent,' she frowned, thinking of what she knew about the Digimon, and how he differed from the regular Devimon species. The colour switch was an obvious, but moot point. The expertise in ice was a different matter, and the other had a good point in that her leaves were off little use. However, his ice had the same issue; with her fur, she was built to withstand even the harshest of temperatures.

And yet, the cold was chilling. Through the desert heat and its swirl of dust and the occasional scrap of discarded data –

'It is a dismal place,' IceDevimon agreed, smiling almost sinisterly. 'Though a few interesting specimens appear every now and then. And I really couldn't wait.'

'Well, you'll have to,' Renamon said frostily, turning away. The cold was grating on her, as was the one who brought it. She would much rather seek her rite of passage elsewhere; a Child is what she needed to cross into the human world, not an Adult. 'I have other matters to attend to.'

'I'm afraid you'll have to stay with me,' the Adult replied. 'After all the trouble it's taken to come here, surely you'll entertain me at least a little.'

'Is that a threat?' Renamon, who had half turned her head – wary to the last – turned back.

'A statement,' said IceDevimon. 'For you see, I believe the two of us have a little problem on our hands.'

'Oh really?' She had a feeling where this was going, and in most cases would not care. 'I didn't realise my business should be the concern of anyone else.'

'Oh, but it is.' The wings stretched away, and IceDevimon straightened to his full height and stepped a little closer. 'You see, I want something and you're in my way.'

Renamon stepped back involuntarily at the invasion of her personal space, and the Adult smirked.

She cursed mentally. She'd given him an edge.

'The strongest tamer,' IceDevimon finished. 'The one they call Maniko Ruki.'

The humanoid fox narrowed her eyes; she knew who he spoke for. The one many a Digimon desired as their tamer. The strongest tamer, it was rumoured, aside perhaps for the one who had tamed the legendary dragon. Scuffles between them had largely reduced the numbers and weakened many a more, for they were all strong and desired power. So an unwritten agreement had been formed; whoever was able to pass through the barrier first would be the winner.

Naturally, as the rule was not cemented with stone nor time, not everyone was akin to follow it.

'You can either waste your time with me and become my stepping stone,' she said stoutly, 'or cross the barrier and approach her yourself. I can't stop you.'

The smile stretched further, displaying pristine fangs that glittered in the sharp desert sun. 'Oh no,' he agreed. 'But you can help, by becoming a part of my collection.'

The wording was discerning, but Renamon did not show it on her face. Instead, she fired her "Fox Tail Arrowheads" again as a blast of hail came her way from point-blank range. The impact knocked her back, and IceDevimon made a discontent noise, before sending a "Zero Freeze" towards her waist.

She sprung high in the air, avoiding the icy blast and countering with a well-aimed kick.

It hit his chest and did nothing.

'Come now.' She froze; he was right in her face. 'Surely you don't think you deserve a strong tamer with power like _that_.'

The wings fanned out, then came forward, giving her only one escape route. Straight up.

And she intended to take it. She was past idle chit-chat, and the realisation that this particular Adult was well beyond her capabilities as a lone Digimon was not lost upon her. Once a time she would have stayed and fought to the bitter end – and surely it would be a bitter end – but a greater purpose was so close she could not bear to let it all go to waste.

'"Wisteria Punch!"' she cried, blue energy encasing her paws as she sprung, kicking out with all her might while bursting out of the temporary prison that kept her. She followed it up with a consecutive attack, and the two bodily hits caused the Adult to turn his head with a groan.

One bony clawed hand came up to rub the side of his face. 'Much better,' he said, sounding as though he had thoroughly enjoyed it. 'But if this is your limit, I suppose I'll just add you to my collection.'

Renamon snarled and charged her paws once more, before being struck by a "Frost Claw" she never saw coming. Her form crumbled, her power ebbing as the data that made up her core fled into the hand above her.

'I suppose I won't,' IceDevimon said, conversationally but quietly – or maybe it was just the wind picking up again, Renamon thought. Except it couldn't be, because the ground below her was as hard and as cold as ice. 'It appears I have more power than this world can handle.'

And indeed, she could see his form glowing with ethereal light, surrounded by the data he had collected since the beginning of life for two purposes. And one of those was about to be realised; at that moment, the Digital World was propelling him forward, and the Human World was opening his doors.

'I do hope you find your way in soon,' IceDevimon said as farewell. 'Though I very much doubt you can. Still, I would like you in my collection. My new one…if not my old.'

And then he was gone, and the cold ebbed away into a barren wasteland of sand, dust, and a transparent dream that had lost all power.

Renamon let her head sink back into the sand and, for the first time she could recall, let tears fall down her face.


End file.
